Australia

AU Drones the newest real estate marketing tool

Property Here - Monday, April 22, 2013

Share to:

A MILITARY vehicle used in combat is carving out a less sinister role revolutionising the world of real estate marketing.

Arial drones are being used to take photos of homes for sale from angles that have never been snapped before, with the remote-controlled devices reaching unique photographic angles to showcase homes to maximum effect, capturing views, elevated perspectives and a property's unique features.

Using the small remote-controlled copter and an iPhone, Saul Goodwin from Byron Bay has helped pioneer the newest twist to aerial photography; a drone equipped with a camera that travels up to 80km/h.

The iPhone app sets the camera to take interval shots.

Mr Goodwin said the drone is able to reach angles that helicopters can’t get close enough to, without putting human lives at risk.

His business venture stemmed from a love of photography and a desire to create better images to sell homes.

He tried a number of options, initially using tall poles with a camera on its end before turning to a friend, who custom-built Mr. Goodwin's first small aircraft.

Although Mr. Goodwin, 36, launched his drone seven months ago, it already accounts for 40 per cent of his business.

"Unlike a small manned aircraft, I am able to go pretty much anywhere -rural or urban -in pretty much any weather, bar rain or hurricane," he says, Mr Goodwin told the Wall Street Journal.

In an industry still in its infancy, Mr. Goodwin appears to be one of the few to use the drone for real estate photography in Australia.

The practice appeared in the US, but the Federal Aviation Administration doesn't allow drones to be used commercially. It's legal in Australia, but requires accreditation.

Formerly in public relations, Mr. Goodwin started photographing houses seven years ago. He is now on his third drone and usually shoots two houses a day and allocates about 1½ hours per shoot, depending on the size of the house

Typically, he positions himself on a piece of the property with unobstructed views - no power lines or trees - and flies the aircraft around the property using a hand-held receiver.